Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Thin Lizzy - In Defense of Mssrs. Gorham and Downey

The last few years have been very good to fans of Thin Lizzy. We've seen the re-remix re-releases of classic albums Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox, and Live and Dangerous. The digitalization of almost every piece of recorded history has blessed us with innumerable Lizzy nuggets in the way of live clips, demos, and interviews. Maybe the coolest thing is that Lizzy stalwarts Scott Gorham and Brian Downey have managed to keep a very vital, and viable version of the band's greatest hits on the road.

About once a month I read a remark on the Web that states - without Lynott there is no Thin Lizzy, and that's that. Well, it's just not that simple. Granted - Phillip Lynott was one of life's true geniuses. Blessed with rock star cool so cool it killed him, a voice that oozed soul as thick as brown ale, and a pen that was perhaps sharper than Van Morrison's, but just short of Bobby D's. I would be the first to say that no being, living or dead, could replace Phil. However, I would also be the last to say that Gorham and Downey have no right to play the material they originally played, or no right to call it Thin Lizzy.

Here's how I see it.

This is about rock and roll ethics - pay attention. Let's look first at the contribution of the aforementioned Gorham and Downey.

Drummer Brian Downey's case is crazy easy to make. He played every snare crack that ever appeared on a Thin Lizzy record, and in a spectacular fashion that has me listing him alongside Bonham, Moon, Starr, Watts, and Ian Paice as stickmen whose bands would not have been the same without their brilliance. The man is one of the most musical drummers ever to grace rock and roll. He's still performing brilliantly and dependably in Thin Lizzy 2011. For my money, Brian Downey could take a kazoo band out and call it Thin Lizzy. Worry not, the man has always made sure that anything he participates in is top notch.

Scott Gorham is one of the co-creators of arguably the most recognizable twin lead guitar sound that any band ever developed. This much loved style of lead guitar harmonization and lead/solo trade offs came after the band heard a single track guitar solo being repeated in harmony via a tape delay, created by an engineer in the studio. The timing of the echo created by the tape delay resulted in the repeated notes being in harmony with the original line. Many bands have followed in Lizzy's footsteps with dual lead players, and harmony parts, but none has shown as brightly as the teams that were always one half Scott Gorham. Scott has been in Thin Lizzy since 1974 - he has flown the flag proudly - never short selling the band's legacy, or scrimping on the cost or quality of players hired to fill the roles left open by no choice of his own. Every version of Thin Lizzy that ever played a show played it with the best people available for the jobs.

For someone to say that Gorham has no right to the name Thin Lizzy would be on the same level with making a happily married widow surrender her dead husband's name. The widow earned the right, and so has Scott Gorham. He has always performed with excellence, and honor. I cannot see how anyone can fault the man in any way. You can bet that he has spent more than a few nights knowing well that Phil's fate could easily have been his as well. They both played hard, and paid dearly. Currently, he's playing brilliantly, and being generous with sharing the guitar star opportunities with whichever excellent player is in the historically rotating second chair. He's been a damned good steward.

In June of 2009, John Sykes decided to depart Thin Lizzy for the final time. One thing that the Internet has done for classic rock bands has been to not just keep, but to even greatly escalate their legends. Demand for viable versions of classic bands has seldom been greater on the concert circuit. When Sykes decided he's had enough, Scott Gorham decided to keep the ship afloat, and discovered that it was easier to hire both a singer and another guitar player than try to find one person who could adequately replace the blonde wunderkind.

He chose Ricky Warwick, best known previously as the frontman for Scottish rockers, The Almighty. The singer is a close friend of Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, who recommended the vocalist for the band while he and Gorham were handling the re-mixes and packaging for the re-release of the classic Lizzy records mentioned earlier. If you have not heard, or purchased any of the re-packagings, you should. These classic albums were remixed, remastered - each contains a remastered version of the original disc and a second disc of rare bonus tracks. "Live and Dangerous" is a two disc set and a third disc DVD. They all sound fantastic, and are worth a new consideration.

Warwick has grown well into his position as the onstage spokesman of one of rock's greatest franchises. Granted, he's not Phil, but then nobody else is, either. What he is, though, is a bona fide Scottish hard rock story teller - and there is much to be said for that if a guy is going to sing Emerald, or Whiskey In The Jar. He's got a great edgy rock and roll voice, and he has gotten much better with the slow stuff. He's doing an honorable Still In Love With You, and a killer version of Don't Believe A Word. This can't be the easiest job in the world, in fact, I give the guy loads of credit for even trying. He's done very, very well, and continues to get better with every tour.

Replacing the second guitar slot has certainly proven to be tougher. This has to be a stressful part of Gorham's job, to replace someone he must work with very closely three times in a couple of years.

First up was Vivian Campbell, on hiatus from his day job with Def Leppard. Campbell was a great choice, as he's wanted to be in the band ever since he was in the running for the job when Sykes joined the band way back in 1982. His playing mixed very well with Gorham's, and his love of cracking open the old wah pedal fit like glove, allowing him to inject some of his own style into his solo moments. However, all too soon it was suddenly Def Leppard's big touring season, and he had to report back to his regular job, one that he has held now for almost twenty years. Captured on the band's home brewed live release, Live In London 2011, Campbell acquits himself very well, especially on the epic Black Rose.

Campbell's departure led to the arrival of Richard Fortus, another hired gun, whose day gig is with Guns & Roses. I didn't know all that much about the guitarist when I heard he had been chosen for the Lizzy gig. He had been listed as rhythm guitarist on Chinese Democracy, and had a great reputation as a New York Sessioneer. I was completely unprepared and shocked when I heard him with the band at this summer's Hellfest in France. Actually that performance may have ruined me for any version of the band in which Fortus does not play. His is simply the most recognizable guitar voice to hit the band since Gary Moore. This isn't a knock on Sykes, either - John is a magnificent player, but I always felt him a bit too metal for Thin Lizzy, and better utilized in Whitesnake, Blue Murder, and his solo career. However, Richard Fortus sounded incredible and very in-context with the Lizzies. His playing was exuberant, filled with passion and mad chops, and his tone....well, his tone may actually as good as any hard rock tone I've ever heard. The entire set from Hellfest blew my mind. It just kept getting better, and better. This is the guitarist I would love to see recording new music with the band, should that at some point occur (I wish it would).

Alas, once again the primary employer returned to production, and Fortus left the fold all too soon.

Joining Thin Lizzy for their 2011 Fall Tour of America as opening act for Judas Priest (and doing select headlining dates) is Damon Johnson, straight off a long stint with Alice Cooper. I have only seen a few clips of this latest version of the band, but Johnson seems to be doing a great job, which again points out that Gorham is doing the best he can to keep top shelf players in his band. I'll know more when I see the band next month in Cincinnati - I'm really looking forward to seeing it go down in person.

What about a new Thin Lizzy record?

Now this is a whole other can of worms, and it's where I have some serious concerns. This is a tough call. I do believe that the band has every right to record new music, and to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. However, to release new music under that name is a huge responsibility, and has not been done since Phil died. That being said, it would be very ballsy, as no one currently in the band has released any original music that is even close to the standard set by Lynott. It would come with a tremendous amount of pressure, and a dim view from a great many music fans. Personally, I would love to see them try it. Send Warwick back to Scotland for a couple of months, with nothing but pen, paper, and a busman's wages. Take some of the dough that's been made on these recent tours, and hire a ball busting producer who loves the legacy. Then make the best Thin Lizzy album that can be made. If at the end, it isn't up to snuff? Bury it. Deep.

I would like to think there's some more great Thin Lizzy music to be made, but it can't be less than what came before. Let's face it, not every Thin Lizzy album was a classic, there were many ups and downs with the band at even the best of times. They were a great band - they were a gang, they were rock and roll. No reason they can't be, once again. They've earned the right after producing consistently great shows, and keeping the quality high in hard times. Whatever the future brings, I congratulate Gorham, and Downey on what they have accomplished - they have done their duty with grace, and great honor. Don't dislike these guys for doing what they do - they didn't kill Phil, but they have managed to help keep his memory alive.

In the meantime, get out and see the band if you have the chance - it's a bunch of great musicians playing a bunch of the best rock and roll ever written.